A former press photographer who worked at two Scottish daily titles has died at the age of 81.

Gordon Rule was a former deputy picture editor at The Herald and had also worked for many years as a photographer at The Scotsman.

He was known as a “larger than life” character who would deflate a crisis by singing songs from a variety of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.

Gordon died in hospital in Glasgow last month after he suffered a number of strokes and his funeral was held on Monday (4 March).

AllMediaScotland reports that tributes have been paid by former colleague George Wilkie, a former picture editor at The Herald, who is now a lecturer at City of Glasgow College.

He said: “Gordon was a man who could only be described as ‘larger than life’. A first-class photographer, a brilliant deskman and a loyal friend, he kept me sane for many years.

“Former Prime Minister, John Major, was once touring the newspaper. It coincided with a rather fraught day.

“Seeing all the new technology on the picture desk, Major shook hands with Gordon saying, ‘You must be very proud of your newspaper’.

“Rule gave him a long look and replied in his couthy Borders accent: ‘If you had been here yesterday the paper was unreadable in the library and unusable in lavatory.’”